MUST LISTEN:
6 Albums and Artists Who Changed the Music Game in 2016

The year 2016 was exactly the year all music lovers needed. There was not a single Friday where new music was not being released, and for the most part it was some of our favorite artists' best work of their careers. Singers like Shawn Mendes and Meghan Trainor broke all barriers, and artists like Zayn proved that sometimes people have to risk it all to make exactly the type of music they were born to create.

Check out some of the artists and albums that revolutionized music this year and why some of these people will be remembered forever for their 2016's contributions to playlists heard around the world.

Sabrina Carpenter established herself as an artist, separate from her work on the Disney Channel and with this album she proved to herself and to fans that there was no limit to where she could go. If she continues on this path, she might join Demi Lovato in the list of Grammy nominated artists that started on the network.

With features like "Juke Jam" with Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper's third mixtape Coloring Book painted the whole world of music with the brightest of hues. The body of work includes immaculate writing and producing as well as the blending of genres from soul, to pop, to rap, to gospel, and using as exactly instruments and words our ears and hearts needed. Chance changed everything by have his (FREE!) mixtape be nominated for several Grammys even though it's not technically an album.

Shawn Mendes quickly broke away from being boxed in as a teen star by creating music that transcended every age group imaginable. The Canadian singer took over the airwaves with hit after hit from his album Illuminate and stole the hearts of young girls, their moms, and everyone in between.

Also, my mom must be a closet Shawn Mendes fan because since when can she identify his voice by like two opening notes of humming

DNCE is the self-titled debut studio album by DNCE that was released on November 18, 2016. Many people thought the success of "Cake By The Ocean" would be fleeing but the band surprised everyone, making Joe Jonas and his band one of the hottest groups in music. They quickly appeared on every award show imaginable and he slowly shed away his Jonas Brothers past and replaced it with a cooler, fresher version of it with DNCE.

People thought that Meghan Trainor would be a one hit wonder after her mega hit "All About That Bass," but she proved everyone wrong when she reinvented herself, colored her hair red and released her sophomore album Thank you. She went on to release other successful singles like "No" and "Me too" and even won the Grammy for Best New Artist. She showed everyone there's way more talent in her than just one hit single.

While some may have thought that Mind Of Mine seemed rushed and chaotic, after a closer listen, it seemed to represent exactly where the singer was in his life. After leaving his boyband behind, and sinking into a deeper, darker and more sensual sound, Zayn Malik accomplished exactly what he dreamed of. While it only had one breakout hit with "Pillowtalk" among the many songs on the project, there were other standouts like "Like I Would," that showed how capable Zayn was of standing on his own and made his future look a lot more promising, even if he started in a boyband.

Which album was your most played in 2016? Was it one of these? Tell us in the comments!